Bison

South Dakota State’s Zach Zenner is one typical game away from setting the all-time Football Championship Subdivision record for rushing. But he has some unfinished business against rival North Dakota State.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has temporarily closed Blue Mounds State Park due to flood damage from recent storms. The park, which is 3 ½ hours southwest of Minneapolis, received more than 11 inches of rain since last Friday.

Brock Jensen and North Dakota State got their perfect ending, capping a 15-0 season with a 35-7 victory over Towson on Saturday as the Bison claimed their straight FCS championship in coach Craig Bohl’s final game at the school.

Craig Bohl is coaching his final game at North Dakota State University on Saturday as the Bison face Towson in the FCS title game. Next stop: Taking over the football program at Wyoming. But what a ride it has been in Fargo.

North Dakota State has proven over the years that it’s not afraid to play anybody. The two-time defending national champions in the Football Championship Subdivision have knocked off Colorado State from the Mountain West, Minnesota from the Big Ten and Kansas from the Big 12 over the last few years, each time planting a flag for smaller schools everywhere.

It seems hard to fathom, but western settlement nearly wiped out the nation’s bison herd — some 30 to 60 million animals. That herd stretched from Minnesota’s grasslands to the Rocky Mountains. But over the years, hard work has brought the bison back.

The deep snow blanketing the Midwest prairie didn’t bother the bison on Ed Eichten’s ranch one bit. The hardy animals evolved to survive — even thrive — year-round on the open range, and with their big heads, they can plow right through drifts 5-feet tall or more.